There is government assistance for the National Health Fund. The Minister of Finance throws a lifeline

The Ministry of Health announced on Friday that as a result of talks with the Ministry of Finance, it was agreed to provide additional support for the National Health Fund in the amount of PLN 3.5 billion. The expected support will be sufficient to secure financing of benefits until the end of 2025, said the ministry in a statement.

On Friday, at the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, a meeting was held between the Minister of Health, Jolanta Sobierańska-Grenda, and the Minister of Finance and Economy, Andrzej Domański.

The Ministry of Health announced in a statement that as a result of the talks, actions were agreed to provide additional support to the National Health Fund in the amount of PLN 3.5 billion.

“The expected support will be sufficient to secure financing of benefits until the end of 2025,” the ministry assured.

Last week, the National Health Fund received additional funds PLN 3.5 billion from the state budget for settlements with medical facilities. The total subsidy to the Fund in 2025 amounted to PLN 32 billion.

In the first half of October, PAP learned from a source in the National Health Fund that the Fund lacks approximately PLN 14 billion this year to settle benefits. According to estimates of the Ministry of Health, the financial gap in the National Health Fund will amount to PLN 23 billion in 2026.

Hospitals are postponing elective procedures

PAP reported this week about hospitals in various parts of Poland that are postponing planned admissions due to delayed settlements with the National Health Fund. This includes, among others: voivodeship Subcarpathia, Pomerania and Masovia.

Minister of Finance Andrzej Domański announced before the meeting with the head of the Ministry of Health that they would talk about how to effectively manage money from the National Health Fund.

Filip Nowak, president of the National Health Fund, spoke about changes in the spending of funds from the Fund on Thursday at a press conference. He announced adjustments to the valuation of some benefits. He said that changes require, among others: ablations, imaging diagnostics, including computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, arthroplasty, to appreciate services e.g. in the area of ​​internal medicine and surgery. He added that limiting the need for certain general surgery departments to operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week is also being discussed. The President of the National Health Fund noted that lowering the requirements for the presence of certain specialists in some areas of medicine is also being considered.

However, the Ministry of Health wants to change the regulations regarding the minimum wage in health care. According to the Minister of Health, the act has fulfilled its role in the system because there are more people working in medical professions. There are demands to freeze the act for two years and to postpone the indexation of minimum wages from July to January, which the Ministry of Health wants to discuss with employees and employers.

The ministry is also talking to trade unions and employers about determining the maximum remuneration for medics paid from public money, which is opposed by, among others, National Trade Union of Doctors.

Anita Karwowska (PAP)

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